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Saturday, August 29, 2015

Found another photo of my great aunt's house on the bluff overlooking the river in Natchez, Mississippi. They had to work to keep that afternoon sun from heating the house. They tried vines and awnings and trees. Last photo is the house as it looks today. The new owners did a fabulous restoration.The last is a link to a .pdf file of a Union pass I found in the house. It belonged to my great grandmother, who was from Alton, Illinois. She was allowed to go back and forth across the Union lines because she was a good dance partner and could play a card game called Euchre.
This link is for the Union Pass.

Tuesday, August 25, 2015

I've had this picture a few days and have been trying to get information on who's in it and where they were going. I found out yesterday from Bettye Jenkins that these Natchez belles were on a train on their way to the 1951 film premiere of Showboat, which was filmed in Natchez. Please see the caption under the photo for identities. If I've mistakenly identified anyone, please feel free to let me know.

So far, here's what I have:

Man seated in center aisle, Xaviar Cougat, a famous band leader; woman seated next to him on the right, Gladys Schaifer; seated far right, Katherine Miller; man behind the partition, Joe Kellogg; woman standing in between two other women, Ruth Adele Hayles Lovitt, who was serving as Miss Hospitality in Natchez.

About Me

Shantybellum is a shanty shack in Natchez, MS with stories to tell.
We'll be talking about all the characters that make Natchez unique, both past and present.
You'll learn about the town myths, legends and scandals. We'll tell you where the skeletons are hidden as well as the ghosts.
We might even write a poem or two. Enjoy.